The Difference Between 'If' and 'When'
by Tsukasa-hime
Summary: After leaping from the portal at the last moment, Sakura finds herself stranded in Acid Tokyo. The vampire twins offer her a unique solution to her problem. May be ooc! Takes place after Acid Tokyo. Eventually romance. SubaruxSakura
1. 1: The Difference Between If and When

Hey there everyone! This is my second fanfiction, so forgive me if it's ooc. It's a lot more serious than my previous fanfic!

This will eventually turn into romance- Subaru/Sakura! I feel like the only fangirl for this pairing in the world ;.; Prove me wrong!

[Also, I feel it's a given since this is on , but I don't own Tsubasa. No copyright infringement is intended.]

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"Maybe you can collect it when you come back to this world." Kusanagi smiled at her.

_When._ If there was anything of which she was sure, it was that there was little chance of her ever returning to Tokyo. But Sakura tried to smile nonetheless. She cast a final glance at the glassy object before it sank out of sight in the reservoir.

"Yes!" she replied, stepping into the swirling portal. The familiar tug came at her limbs. She closed her eyes, preparing for the impending motion sickness.

But they flew open again as one of the spectators let out a grunt.

"Fuuma!" Sakura yelped. He collapsed, coughing.

Instinctively, Sakura leapt to him from the opening portal.

"Sakura-hime, no!" She faintly heard Syaoran's voice. _No!_ She spun around, preparing to leap back into the vortex. But it was too late.

The portal- along with Mokona, Kurogane, Fai, and Syaoran- was gone.

Fuuma straightened slightly. "Why did you jump out!"

"You looked ill!"

"Of course I'm ill, I've lived _here_ for months! I'll get over it! What are you going to do?"

"Can't they just come back for you?" Kazuki piped up.

"It doesn't work that way." Kamui's voice growled. "You can't choose where you're going."

"That's no fair!" The boy crossed his arms.

Sakura only stared at the place on the ground where the portal had been.

"Come, let's get you back into the tower," Satsuki said quietly, leading the shaken girl through the jagged rocks.

Sakura's eyes shone with tears. She had been through much hardship on their journey, in this world more than any other. But she'd never been completely alone. Someone had always been there to keep watch over her- whether Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane, even Mokona.

But now she was alone. Stranded in a world full of people she barely knew.

Footsteps sounded behind them. Sakura peered over her shoulder. Two black-cloaked figures were tailing her and Satsuki.

"We just wanted to make sure you're all right," Subaru said, smiling gently. She tried to smile back. Kamui looked anxious. She could almost hear the words running through his head- _get to the next world, get to the next world, get to the next world…_

"I'm sorry," she blurted. Kamui jumped.

"Never mind it," he grunted.

An hour later, she was sitting on a bed in the tower, gazing out the window. The sun was still shining, drying up the remains of the acid rain. It was such a cheerful day.

Her only option seemed to be to stay where she was. Perhaps, eventually, her friends would come back for her.

Fierce whispering from outside the door caught her attention. Subaru's head appeared through the doorframe.

"Hello," he chirped.

"Hello," Sakura replied, blinking.

"Kamui was just saying- ouch!" He winced as an elbow appeared and dug into his ribs. "_I_ was just telling Kamui that… well, you took my wish upon yourself, going and retrieving the egg. I feel like we should do something for you in return."

"Oh, that's all right, I-"

"Please hear me out." He sat on the bed next to her. "We can't stay here, and there's almost no chance your friends will come back to this world."

Sakura stared at the floor.

"I was asking Kamui if we might take you with us."

She stared at him. "Take me… with you?"

He nodded, smiling gently.

"Oh, no..." She stood, pacing the room. "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking us," Kamui said from the doorway. She looked at him in surprise.

"What?"

"We're asking you. You've got nowhere else to go, and this world isn't safe." He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway.

She glanced back at Subaru. He was nodding enthusiastically.

"So?" Kamui raised an eyebrow.

Sakura took a deep breath.

"Okay."


	2. 2: Of Vampires and Silly Bands

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. 3 The next chapter will come faster! I promise!

Yes, I realize it's not that easy to get a job at Wal-Mart... this is fiction, ne?

Thank you so much for all the favorite story adds, everyone! 3

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"You're sure you're all right with this? Me coming along?"

"Of course." Subaru smiled at Sakura. She clutched his elbow nervously, his cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

"It'll be a bumpy ride," Kamui warned. He still didn't seem altogether thrilled with his twin's plan, but he was going along with it. Perhaps he believed it would get them out of Tokyo sooner.

Sakura nodded. They stood in front of the tower, wind whipping through the vampires' cloaks. Clouds were rolling back into the sky, threatening to dump more corrosive rain on them.

"We'd better go quickly," Kamui urged, twitching as the pitter-patter of raindrops sounded on the rocks around them. Subaru nodded, wrapping an arm around Sakura's shoulders. She closed her eyes.

The wind on her cheeks strengthened, followed by a sensation of being jerked back and forth. Then- briefly, the feeling of flight. Pure freedom.

Then she was buried in something.

Realizing she'd landed in a reclining position, she sat up, swatting at small packages that were packed around her.

"What…?"

She was sitting in a large plastic tub in the middle of an aisle full of people. Several stopped to stare at her; others moved on.

"Subaru? Kamui?" she called, looking around. Tall racks of assorted objects loomed above her. In the tub surrounding her were hundreds of small, plastic packets containing brightly colored rubber bands. Subaru's head popped up next to her.

"Hello," he greeted cheerfully.

"Where are we?"

"I don't really know," he said, examining a packet.

"What does it say?"

Subaru squinted. "Silly bands?"

"What are they?"

"I have no idea. Some kind of food, perhaps?"

"Get out of there." Kamui's voice came from above them. He glared down at the two, arms crossed.

"Kamui! There you are. What happened to you?" Subaru clamored out of the tub. Sakura noticed the more serious of the twins looked slightly ruffled.

"I… never mind. We need to get out of here."

"Why?"

"We're getting weird looks… and I think some people are angry with me."

"Why are they angry?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's go." He swept off through the aisle, shying away from a group of women who glared at him.

"Oh, Kamui," Subaru chuckled, hoisting Sakura out of the silly band display. They followed Kamui through the aisles, past a row of cash registers and rolling carts, and out the sliding front door.

"What was that place?" Sakura asked quietly. Subaru peered up at a massive sign over their heads.

"Wal-mart," he replied.

"Kamui, where are we going?" Subaru asked as they dodged cars that sped through the parking lot.

"We're going to find a place to stay," he grunted. "An inn or something."

"We need money, you know."

Kamui stopped in his tracks.

"This looks like a store. Maybe we could work here."

Kamui spun on his heel, muttering to himself, and swept back through the doors.

After locating a store manager, Kamui asked, "Are there any job openings here?"

"Actually, I was just about to put the sign up," the manager, a woman in her early thirties, declared. "There are two openings in the salon- we need people to clean up and work the register- and one sweeping the walkways."

"Would you hire us?" Subaru asked, smiling pleasantly. "Just temporarily, we're passing through and need money."

"Not in those clothes," she chuckled. "Where did you come from, the Halloween festival? And it's not even October."

"Are there uniforms?" Sakura asked quietly. The manager nodded.

"We'll get you some," she said. "What kind of job experience do you have?"

"I've been a waitress at a café," Sakura said.

"Kamui and I have… well, Kamui, what _haven't_ we done?" Subaru laughed.

"We've never wrestled sharks," Kamui replied distractedly as he nervously eyed a little girl on a 25-cent toy car ride.

"Fair enough," the lady replied, trying to smile. "Let's get you those uniforms."

"That'll be eight dollars, please," Sakura told the woman at the register. The lady handed over the bills and walked into the interior of the salon.

"Doing all right, Sakura?" Subaru asked, sweeping the area around her feet.

"Yes," she replied cheerfully. "The cash register was a little hard to figure out at first, but I think I've got the hang of it. It's a bit like one I've seen before."

"Well, that's good," he replied, glancing back around the salon. "It seems like every time I sweep up a pile of hair, more replaces it…"

"But… that's actually happening."

"I know." He chuckled. "I wonder how Kamui is doing…"

Kamui, being distracted, found himself stuck with aisle-sweeping while his twin and their tagalong got the jobs in the hair salon. Grumbling, he shoved a massive push-broom down the center of the haircare aisle.

"Hey, you're that kid!" one of the ladies barked, glaring at him. "The one who was in the-"

"I'm not that kid!" he growled, pushing the broom along all the faster. This was obviously not the best place for him to be working- not after where he'd shown up.

Eventually the shift was over. Through Subaru's negotiation, they were able to get a paycheck right away. The lady who had hired them recommended a Holiday Inn a few blocks down, which they were able to afford.

"That wasn't so bad," Subaru commented, closing the door to the room behind them.

"I never want to go back there again," Kamui moaned. He flopped facedown on one of the two beds.

"Did you have trouble, Kamui-san?" Sakura asked.

"Yes."

"What did you do?" Subaru chuckled. "There seemed to be a lot of people angry with you…"

"Where did you two land?" he grumbled.

"In an inflatable swimming pool full of something called 'silly bands.'" Subaru replied. "You?"

"I showed up in the women's restroom."


	3. 3: Of Vampires and Breakfast Foods

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for sticking with me. I intend to upload chapters more frequently... but, of course, I also intend to be excellent at math and speak Japanese fluently, which isn't happening very quickly, either. I appreciate your patience. ^^; This is a rather short chapter, but they should start getting longer soon.

I've stopped using honorifics (-san, etc) because I often forget to use them and, occasionally, I'm unsure of which should be used based on the situation. They also sound a bit awkward to me when used in English writing.

KamuiSakura is starting to become a potential issue here... I need to stay focused! :

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Chapter 3

/of vampires and breakfast foods

"Subaru? Kamui?" Sakura rolled over in her bed, blinking sleep out of her eyes.

"Close the shades, Kamui, she's still asleep!"

"It's late. She needs to get up."

"Kamui-"

"It's okay," Sakura yawned, sitting up on the hotel bed. Light streamed in through the small window. Kamui stood in front of it, lifting the blackout shades, a set of lighter blinds still in place for privacy. Which was a good thing, as Kamui was wandering around with his shirt open.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Subaru huffed. He was already dressed in the Wal-mart uniform. "We probably should be going soon."

She nodded and made her way into the bathroom. It took her a solid five minutes to figure out the shower.

When she reemerged, Kamui was fully dressed. He was pacing anxiously. Sakura wondered if he ever actually relaxed or if he was always loaded with adrenaline.

"There you are," he muttered. He took Subaru's hand and walked out the door, Sakura following close behind.

"We get a free breakfast," Subaru commented, pointing to the main building across from the hotel rooms.

"We don't need to eat-"

"But Sakura does. Besides, you know I like people-food."

"I thought you said we weren't going to talk about that in front of the human."

Subaru blinked. "Oh. I meant food people eat. Not… people as food."

Kamui rolled his eyes, and a chill went down Sakura's spine. For once, she wondered if it really was safe to be travelling around with vampires.

The breakfast room was cozy, with several tables set up along the walls covered in cereals, waffles, bagels, and fruit of all varieties. Several more tables were placed in the middle of the room. Kamui promptly sat down at one of the smaller tables.

Sakura wandered up to the buffet. She'd never seen a good number of the featured foods, so she settled on toast- it looked safe. Subaru followed her, grabbing a pile of bagels and cream cheese containers. They sat down next to Kamui, Subaru opening the cream cheese.

"What's that?" Kamui asked, wrinkling his nose.

"It says 'cream cheese.'" He spread it on a bagel, glancing at a woman across the room who was doing the same thing.

"It looks suspicious. I wouldn't-"

Subaru bit off half of the bagel. He nodded. "Good."

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Kamui glared off at the table again. Finally, he stood and grabbed a donut from an open box.

"Jelly donut?" Subaru leaned over, looking at the box. Kamui bit into the pastry and blinked.

"What is it?" Sakura leaned forward anxiously. She remembered seeing jelly donuts somewhere before. They were usually filled with… jelly. But maybe these were different.

The young man set the donut down on the table. Sakura cocked her head. It was hollow.

"Those are usually filled with jelly," she repeated aloud.

Subaru stifled a laughing fit.

Sakura felt vaguely woozy.


	4. 4: Of Vampires and Television Sets

Aaand suddenly I feel like I'm uploading things far too frequently. ^^; Forgive me if this is considered spamming. It's sort of meant to be an apology for the overly short previous chapter.

This is going to be the last humorous chapter for a while, as things (as you will see) are about to go "SRSBZNSS."

[Also, if you see any typos, please let me know! I'm also up for constructive critique. Thank you!]

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Chapter 4

/of Vampires and Television Sets

It hadn't been a good day at work.

For one, Kamui had been chased around the store by a woman who'd happened to recognize him. Another woman- or possibly man, neither Subaru nor Sakura could be sure- with three feet of sparse hair dangling off its head had come in for a haircut. It hadn't agreed on the price of the haircut and had nearly strangled Sakura before the manager had stepped in. Subaru was still brushing hair (and whiskers) off his shirt hours later.

So when they all wearily trudged back to the hotel, they were all in need of some relaxation.

"This place has a TV," Subaru remarked, staring at the box that sat on the table across from the beds.

"I'm sure you remember what happened last time we tried to work one of those," Kamui sighed as he rifled through the drawers.

"Yes," Subaru laughed. "You still have the frizzy spot on the back of your hair-"

He shut his mouth when Kamui started glancing from him to Sakura.

"I'll try to set it up this time, then." Subaru hopped off the bed and approached the TV warily. Reaching from as far away as possible, he pushed the 'on' button.

Commentary for a football game blasted through the stereo.

"IT'S UP LOUD," Kamui hollered.

"WHAT?" Sakura yelled back.

"THE LAST PERSON TO TURN IT OFF MUST HAVE LEFT THE VOLUME UP!" Subaru started madly pressing one of the 'down' buttons. The image on the screen switched to one of a sparkling diamond necklace.

"THAT WAS THE CHANNEL BUTTON," Kamui screeched.

"AND FOR THE LOW PRICE OF SIX-HUNDRED-NINETY-NINE-NINETY-FIVE-"

"THEN WHICH ONE IS THE VOLUME BUTTON?"

"THIS MARVELOUS NECKLACE CAN BE-"

"IT'S THE OTHER DOWN ONE. THE ONE THAT SAYS-"

"CALL NOW, AND YOU'LL ALSO GET-"

Sakura reached out and pressed the power switch. The room fell silent.

"Why didn't we do that in the first place?" Kamui groaned. Sakura shrugged, blushing, and Subaru burst out laughing.

"Which one is for the volume?" Sakura glanced at the set. Subaru pointed to a switch.

"I'll push the 'on' button and you turn it down," Subaru suggested. Sakura nodded.

Soon the TV was on at an appropriate volume.

"That's taken care of," Subaru sighed, picking up the remote and flopping down on the open bed. "Now what do we watch?"

Sakura sat down next to him, rather than get too close to the rather irritable-looking Kamui. "Anything is fine with me."

"How about the Nature Channel?" Subaru switched to an image of zebras grazing in a field.

"Does this world have the Military Channel?" Kamui grunted.

"Well, probably, but…" Subaru glanced off to the side. "I don't want to watch people shooting each other…"

"I don't want to watch zebras get eaten."

"This is educational!"

"So is the Military Channel! And you might learn something useful, like self-defense. The more of that _you_ learn, the better!"

"I can defend myself just fine!" Subaru swung his legs off the side of the bed. "And I can defend _you,_ too! Remember Fuuma?"

"Yes, I remember Fuuma, but that's beside the point! What are we going to learn by watching this?"

"We'll appreciate this world better!"

"Why do we need to appreciate it? We'll just be leaving soon!"

"Why do we have to be off so quickly? Why can't we just relax?"

"He'll just catch up to us-"

"You're so paranoid! We've stayed away from Seishirou so far, what makes you think he'll catch up-"

"As soon as we slack off, we're giving him an opening-"

"What if he does catch up? Maybe his intentions aren't as bad as you think they are?"

"For what reason would he be chasing us other than to-"

"Kill me? I don't know, maybe if we just-"

"What, asked him?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey!"

The twins froze at the sound of Sakura's voice.

"W-what?" Kamui blinked.

"Stop fighting!" She shifted nervously. "I don't know why he's after you, and I don't know why you're running away, but I'm sure he's just going to catch up faster if you fight." Her eyes flicked from Subaru to Kamui. "You're turning on each other."

The stared at her, openmouthed.

"Please, make up."

Subaru glanced up at Kamui, who mirrored the motion perfectly.

"Sorry," they said in perfect stereo.

"And I, for one, would like to watch the Food Network," she added, her voice little more than a peep, as she glanced over the list of channels taped to the side of the TV.

The three watched Rachel Ray make five different dishes using crab and lemon juice until they flopped over and fell asleep.

"Today's going to be a hard day, you three," the manager informed them the next day.

"Then what was yesterday?" Kamui groaned.

"We weren't having a major rollback sale yesterday," the lady informed them. "We're doing inventory soon and we want rid of everything possible. Oh, and haircuts are on sale, too." She glanced at Sakura and Subaru. "Just stay sharp and you'll be fine."

_Stay sharp,_ Sakura repeated mentally. _On top of things._

It was worse- far worse- than the day before. Instead of one troublesome customer, it was a swarm of mildly uncooperative customers. Kids' haircuts were on sale, and the younger ones weren't too keen on having scissors and electric razors so close to their ears. Sakura's head spun from their wails by the time their lunch break rolled around.

They weren't feeling very hungry, so she and Subaru sat outside in the sunshine. He looked down at his hands in despair.

"I've got blisters," he said.

"And you're covered in hair again," Sakura chuckled. She brushed hairs off of his sleeves. He blinked at her.

"What?"

"Nothing." He looked away, plucking more hairs off of his shirt. Sakura gazed off into the sky, wondering how her friends were doing. Fai was probably picking on Kurogane, though his personality seemed to have changed as of late. Syaoran… she wasn't sure about him. He wasn't ever _her_ Syaoran anymore; he was… the original? Or _was_ he her Syaoran? When had they been… switched?

"Sakura?" Subaru's voice brought her back to the present. "Are you all right?"

"I was just thinking about my friends." She shifted. "I miss them."

"I'm sorry." Then, rather awkwardly, he lifted his arm and rested it on her shoulders.

Was it her imagination, or did her heart flutter a little?

"Hey." The two looked up to see Kamui's head poking through the doors. "We're back on."

"Right." Subaru stood, helping Sakura to her feet. "How's your job going, Kamui?"

"…Fine." He bit his lip. "Someone decided to dump out all the powdered makeup in the entire third aisle. They thought it was just hilarious. I got stuck cleaning it up." He whisked back through the doors before either of them could comment.

"Back to it, then?" Subaru chuckled.

"Back to it."

After several hours, the crowds finally started to die down.

"How much longer is the shift, Sakura?" Subaru asked, sweeping under one of the chairs.

"About thirty minutes," she replied, looking over her shoulder. When she looked back, a man stood at the register.

"Hello, sir," she greeted, "How may I help…?"

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of his face.

"Good afternoon, miss," he greeted, winking one glass eye. "You wouldn't happen to know if someone named Subaru worked here, would you?"


	5. 5: Of Hunters and Prey

Here is angst.

My theory on why Seishirou is chasing the twins is the same as the one on the Tsubasa wiki. Kamui explains in this chapter.

This and the next chapter are about as dark as this'll get for a while, then it's back to happier days. I want to balance it out. xD I'm also working on keeping my writing style consistent... it's harder than it sounds. o.

Critique is always welcomed. Thanks for reading! SubaruSakura forevaaaar!

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Chapter 5

/of Hunters and Prey

Sakura took her eyes off of Seishirou for a split second to glance back at Subaru. The look on his face was one of pure shock- though, she noticed, there was no fear in his eyes. When she turned back around, Kamui was standing behind Seishirou, claws on one hand extended and pressed against the man's neck.

"Subaru, run!" he exclaimed.

After a moment's hesitation, Subaru grabbed Sakura's hand and bolted.

"Where are we going?" Sakura gasped as they flew through the parking lot. Subaru altered their course for the hotel.

"Kamui will want to leave this world," he panted. "We should gather what we need and get ready to go."

"Will… will he be okay?" Sakura looked over her shoulder. Kamui and the taller man were now sparring in front of the store.

"He will."

Soon they reached the hotel. Sakura ducked into the bathroom to change.

"Subaru?" she called when she was done. "Can I come out?"

"Yes." She opened the bathroom door. He was finishing the top button on his coat. "Kamui will be here any minute, then we can get away."

There was a knock at the front door.

"That'll be him." Subaru reached for the doorknob.

Kamui wasn't the one at the door.

"Hello," Seishirou said cheerfully.

Everything happened so fast Sakura hardly had time to register it. Seishirou raised a gun and shot Subaru in the shoulder. The boy stumbled backwards before collapsing. Sakura cried out and stepped towards the two.

Seishirou pointed the gun at Sakura.

"My apologies, miss," he said as he pulled the trigger.

Instead of a bullet, Sakura found a dart in her shoulder. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy, her limbs felt like lead…

She fell to the floor, and the last thing she saw before her vision faded was Seishirou hoisting Subaru over his shoulder.

"Wake up."

Sakura groaned.

"Wake up. You have to wake up."

"Subaru?" Sakura opened her eyes a crack, wincing at the incandescent light. Instead of Subaru's green eyes, she found herself staring into Kamui's purple ones.

"No, unfortunately." Kamui disappeared from her vision. She sat up and found herself on one of the beds. Kamui was rummaging through the drawers beneath the TV.

She gasped as she caught sight of him.

The boy was a bloody mess. Deep cuts marred his arms and back. Blood dripped from another below his eye.

"Kamui," she said softly.

"What?" He pulled a first aid kit out of the drawer, seemed to contemplate it, then set it down and headed for the door.

"Wait." She stood and grabbed him by the wrist. "Sit down."

"I can't-"

"Please, let me patch you up a little. Just five minutes. Subaru wouldn't want to see you like this."

He didn't protest, but sat on the edge of a bed. Sakura ran a washcloth under the tap and wiped the blood off his face and arms. To her surprise, the wounds were already closing.

"Vampire blood," Kamui muttered, as if reading her thoughts. "Don't get any in your mouth."

"I wasn't going to." She smiled softly. "You should go change."

He nodded, grabbing his clothes from the drawer. In a moment, he was back out of the bathroom, dropping the Wal-mart uniform- and the wallet full of the money from that world- on one bed.

"Let's go." He headed for the door. For once, Sakura didn't try to stop him.

Kamui's tracking skills were nothing short of amazing. Sakura couldn't see the minute shoeprints in the corners of the puddles, and she most certainly couldn't pick up Subaru's scent. Not even Seishirou's, which Kamui claimed to be 'like a bottle of cologne left in a freezer with an open box of meat.' Sakura was having a difficult time imagining it.

"Why is he chasing you two in the first place?" Sakura finally worked up the courage to ask.

"Subaru gave him blood," he explained, sniffing at a lamppost. "You understand what happened with your wizard friend, right? Fai, was it?"

Sakura felt a pang of loneliness at Fai's name. "Sort of."

"In giving him blood, Subaru became his game. Seishirou now needs Subaru's blood to survive."

Like Fai needed Kurogane's blood. It did make sense.

"Is that why he's been chasing you?"

"That's what we think." Kamui frowned, setting off again. "But he's unpredictable."

Sakura nodded. She'd seen what the man could to in Oto. "Then we need to find him faster."

"Precisely." He stooped to examine another puddle. "He went this way. Listen, if we get there and… things start to go badly, I'll tell you to run. I don't care how much you want to stay and try to fight, just _go_." He fixed her with a steely gaze. "Understand?"

She bit her lip, but nodded.

Suddenly, the footprints disappeared and Kamui announced they'd gotten in a car. That slowed him down only incrementally.

Subaru's head felt like it was splitting open.

With a massive effort, he opened his eyes a sliver. It was dark, wherever he was. His eyelids were too heavy to keep open. He let them slide closed again.

It would have been so easy to let them stay closed. He could just relax, stay there forever…

But Kamui would kill him, or at least put him to sleep with a lecture. Biting his lip- and tasting blood- he forced his eyes open.

He was lying on a slightly threadbare couch. The room was dark, but a little light came from behind curtains across the room.

Pain shot through his arm when he tried to lift it to rub his eyes. Glancing down, he saw a needle inserted into the crook of his elbow. A tube was attached to that, running to a small bag of blood on the floor.

Usually those were hung _above_ a person. Placing it underneath would just make the whole thing work in reverse, right?

With a jolt, Subaru realized that was exactly what was going on. The bag was filling with his blood.

He grabbed the needle and wrenched it from his arm with a cry, hauling himself to his feet. He didn't get three steps across the room before the world started spinning again. Knees caving, he fell to the floor.

A door opened, letting in a beam of light that seemed to sear his eyes.

"Good morning," an almost-forgotten voice called. "Or, I suppose, good evening. It's sunset."

"Seishirou…" Subaru rasped.

"You look rather pale. Paler than usual, rather." Seishirou dragged his limp body back onto the couch. "You'd better sleep."

"Why…?"

"You know why. I need the blood of my game to survive." He turned. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you, that would defeat the purpose." He chuckled.

And he was gone.

Subaru took a deep breath. Kamui had been right all along… Seishirou clearly didn't want to have a friendly chat and take them out for ice cream. What had happened to his old friend?

"Here," Kamui said.

"How can you tell?" Sakura glanced at the dilapidated apartment door. Seishirou seemed more… refined than that.

"It reeks of him." Kamui kicked down the door.

Seishirou sat at a dingy kitchen table drinking a mug of tea.

"Oh, hello." He glanced up at them, then back to his tea.

"Where is he?" Kamui stepped forward, claws extending.

"'He'?"

"Don't act stupid."

"I have no intention of giving up so easily after all I've been through to find you two."

"I didn't ask your opinion." Kamui lashed out. Seishirou narrowly avoided losing an ear. Seeing an opportunity, Sakura slipped past the two and opened a door at the back of the main room.

Subaru's voice cried out. She slipped through the door and shut it behind her.

"Subaru, are you all right?"

"I'm alive." His voice was weaker than she'd ever heard it. She stumbled through the dark until she found him lying on a couch. She felt his forehead- it was cold.

"Subaru, what happened?" She gently took one of his hands in her own.

"I'm sure you can figure it out."

"We have to get out of here." She tried to help him off the couch, but he collapsed.

"I can't walk."

"Why not?"

"Too weak." He glanced up at her helplessly.

"Why?"

The door opened again, flooding the room with light. Subaru cried out, covering his face with his hands, as Kamui swept into the room.

"Subaru!" he cried, kneeling at his brother's side. "What happened? You're pale!"

"Aren't we always?" A hint of a smile softened his features again.

"Paler than usual."

"Kamui, where is Seishirou?" Sakura interrupted, glancing out the door as she closed it to ease Subaru's pain. He seemed to be sensitive to light.

"He's out. For now. We have to leave."

For once, Subaru didn't argue. Kamui grabbed Sakura's hand, roughly wrapped her and his twin in an awkward group hug, and the dark room vanished.


	6. 6: Of Vampires and Doctors

Hey y'all. CB

Apologies for the long wait! Not too much happens here- sorry to disappoint! There will hopefully be more… I don't know… stuff in the next chapter. Writer's block. xP

Feel free to point out any typos, critique to the moon and back, etc. I edited this while watching Larry the Cable Guy. Hurrhurr. 

* * *

Chapter 6

/of Vampires and Doctors

The three found themselves in an alleyway flanked by brick walls. Rain drizzled from the pea soup-colored sky, collecting in a river at the side of the alley they were now sitting in.

"Subaru!" Kamui exclaimed. The boy's head lolled to the side and his eyes were squeezed shut.

"Is he all right?" Sakura watched nervously as Kamui laid him gently on the cobblestone road, pressing two fingers to his wrist.

"He has a pulse," Kamui said. "But we can't stay out here-"

"Hey!"

The two looked towards the source of the voice. A little girl and a young woman stood at the end of the alleyway, staring at them. Both were clothed in long, elaborate dresses made of a dark brown, silky material. The woman held an umbrella over their heads.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked, taking a step towards them. The woman pulled her back warily.

"My friend is sick," Sakura said quickly. "Please, is there a doctor nearby?"

"Yes," the woman said, still remaining a safe distance from the trio. "What's wrong with him? It's not the plague, is it?"

"No," Kamui cut in. "It's not catching."

That seemed to relax her a little. She approached them, peering down at Subaru.

"He's pale as a ghost," she said. "What on earth is wrong with him?"

"Blood loss," Kamui replied quietly.

"Please," Sakura cut in, "can you help us?"

The woman nodded.

With Subaru suspended between them, Kamui and Sakura followed the lady and child through nearly deserted streets. Brick buildings loomed on either side of the roads, reminding Sakura of a larger, dilapidated version of Jade.

"Here," the woman said, stopping in front of a smaller brick building. The girl held the door for them. Turning sideways, the three shuffled into a small waiting room. Cushioned wooden chairs lined the walls and a desk sat at the back, next to a door.

"Oh, dear," a nurse standing at the desk gasped.

"We need a doctor," Kamui panted.

The woman disappeared through the door.

Kamui took Subaru's full weight, setting him down in one of the chairs. Sakura turned to the woman and little girl.

"Thank you so much," she said.

"It was nothing," the woman said. She seemed to have relaxed considerably, finally realizing they didn't mean her any harm. "My name is Eleanor, and this is my daughter Lucie."  
"I'm…" A thought popped into Sakura's head. Their names weren't exactly normal in this country, were they? She glanced at Kamui.

His head twitched to one side the slightest bit. Sakura clammed up.

"Yes?" Eleanor cocked her head.

"Samantha," Kamui cut in. "I'm Kenyon, and this is Stephen."

"Pleasure to meet you," Lucie said, curtsying. Eleanor did the same.

Just then, the back opened and a broad-shouldered man with short brown hair entered.

"Oh dear," he exclaimed, catching sight of Subaru. "What on earth-"

"Can you help him?" Kamui interrupted.

"We can take him back, but I'll need you to come with me."

Sakura and Kamui hoisted the boy onto their shoulders again.

"Oh, no need for that, miss." The man bowed to her and took her place under one of Subaru's arms. He was nearly lifted off the floor. Kamui found three inches of space between his shoulder and Subaru.

"Okay, then," he grunted as the man swept off through the back door. Sakura trailed behind and Kamui struggled to keep up.

They turned into a small, cozy room. A padded table sat against one wall, a desk filled with various medical supplies against the other. The doctor laid Subaru on the table. Sakura stood against the wall next to them.

"Now, what exactly happened to him?"

"He's lost a lot of blood," Kamui said evasively.

"I can see that. But what happened?"

Kamui narrowed his eyes.

"I just want to be sure there's no foul play involved," the doctor said gently.

"He… was… having blood drawn. They took too much."

"Where? The only facility within a hundred miles of here authorized to do such a thing is this very office."

"Look, it's a long story." Kamui was getting impatient. "Can't you just help him?"

The doctor sighed. "I will help him, but when I'm done, you will please tell me what happened. Exactly what happened."

Kamui's eyes narrowed further, but he nodded. "Fair enough."

The doctor left and came back with an IV apparatus, but as he inserted the needle into Subaru's arm, the boy's eyes opened.

"Subaru?" Sakura breathed, forgetting their cover momentarily. The doctor raised an eyebrow.

"No!" He reached for the needle. Sakura was by his side instantly.

"It's okay, Subaru," she whispered, taking his hand. "This man is helping you."

"Please…"

"Don't worry."

His eyes met hers for a brief moment.

Then he nodded and was unconscious again.

"Now, would you care to tell me exactly what happened to this boy?" the doctor said softly.

"You probably wouldn't believe me," Kamui grumbled.

"Try me." There was almost a twinkle in his eye.

Kamui narrowed his own.

"I have a feeling you're from a different world," he said simply.

Sakura gasped.

"Your clothes, your names… you're different."

Reluctantly, Kamui nodded.

"So what happened to him?"

"Someone drained his blood."

"Why would they do that?"

He shifted his gaze. "Because… we're vampires. Both of us."

The doctor's eyes widened. "You're being utterly honest?"

"What motive would I have to lie?"

"Quite a few, actually." The doctor chuckled. "But I believe you." He shifted his gaze to Sakura. "And you?"

"I'm just traveling with them," she answered quickly, holding up her hands. "I'm not… a vampire."

He nodded. "You know, miss, that's not the safest idea."

She looked away. Truthfully, she hadn't thought about it all that much. Kamui was tolerant enough, and Subaru was so polite, she couldn't imagine either one of them would hurt her.

"I trust them," she finally answered.

There was a soft intake of breath from the sleeping form on the table. Startled, Sakura glanced down to see Subaru's eyes half-open and focused on her.

He smiled a bit and closed them again.

"If you've nowhere else to go, you're all welcome to stay here for the night," the doctor said, suppressing a grin. "I can set up some mats in here for you to sleep on."

"Thank you," Kamui said. "We would appreciate that."

"I'll be a minute." The doctor nodded and stepped out of the room.

Sakura glanced at Kamui nervously.

"What?"

"What he said…" She shifted, looking away. "Was this really a good idea? I mean… traveling with vampires?"

Kamui sighed. "It was Subaru's idea anyway, not mine. Would you rather be stuck in Tokyo with the acid rain and mutant things?"

She shook her head.

There was a brief pause.

"Could I ask you some questions?" Sakura fidgeted, looking from Kamui to Subaru. The more frail of the two seemed to be asleep, but it was hard to tell.

"Sure."

"How… how often do you need to… eat?"

"Drink blood?"

Sakura winced. "Yes."

"I took some of your game-friend's blood back in Tokyo. Before that, I didn't really keep track. But how often we _need_ to eat…" He glanced up at Subaru. "Well, he's overdue, at least."

Sakura couldn't fight a slight urge to start wearing a scarf. "You… won't go on a blood-rampage, will you?"

"No. Will you go on a vegetable-rampage?"

She shook her head, smiling a little. "Do you actually bite people?"

"Let's have a rule, here. Ask yourself if you would do something with food before you ask me."

Okay, so they bit people. "Do the people you bite usually…"

"Die? No. You can relax." His exterior guard seemed to drop for a moment and he smirked.

Just then, the doctor reappeared holding rolled-up mattress pads. "These should make you more comfortable," he said. He rolled them out on the floor. "By the way, my name is Edward Manette. I live down the street in the house with the green trim if you need me."

"Thank you," Sakura sighed, gazing up at the man as she sank, almost purring, into the mattress pad. Kamui nodded to Edward as he stretched out on his own.

The doctor switched off the lights and left. Sakura and Kamui were asleep almost instantly.


	7. 7: Of Vampires and announcements?

HEY EVERYONE. CB

You've all probably noticed that I've been in a slump with If and When. I'm really… stuck. No inspiration. xD I should have dragged out the Seishiro chapter for about five.

So, I know there are several people who read this faithfully… I would love it if you'd help me out. Just send me a message and drop me some inspiration, a plot twist, a scene idea, etc. If I really like it, I'll use it to get me out of the slump and incorporate it into the story.

This'll be the last chapter until something hits me, one way or another. Send in those ideas! I'll let you know if I plan on using it, and I will mention you in the comments at the beginning. CB thanks guys.

* * *

The next morning, Sakura awoke to a pair of green eyes peering down at her.

"Good morning," Subaru greeted, his chin resting on the edge of the padded table. He was lying on his stomach.

"Good morning," Sakura repeated, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better. Tired, though." He yawned. "Hungry."

Kamui's words last night rang in Sakura's memory. _He's overdue._ "Hungry?"

He nodded, yawning again, and rolled over, disappearing from view.

She clambered to her feet, peering at the boy. "W-what kind of hungry? Thirsty-hungry?"

Subaru rolled over and cocked his head at her. "Huh?"

"You know… vampire-hungry?"

"Were you talking to Kamui while I was asleep?" He stretched, yawning in a catlike manner. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Sakura looked away, ashamed. She knew she was wrong to fear the twins, but the feeling was still there. "Sorry."

"For what?" Subaru was on his feet, hands against the wall. He threw open curtains that Sakura had not noticed before, and soft gray light flooded the room.

Kamui emitted a long groan.

"Up, sleepy!" Subaru scolded. Then he winced, touching his throat.

"Subaru," Kamui muttered.

"I'm okay." He swallowed hard. "Throat's dry."

"Come on." Kamui grabbed his brother's hand and started towards the door. Sakura hesitated and Kamui glanced over his shoulder at her.

"You can come or—" he began.

But Subaru cut him off. "Stay here," he croaked.

"We're not hunting people," Kamui muttered.

"But still." Subaru smiled weakly at her, then followed his twin out the door.

Sakura sank down on the padded table and couldn't stop a shiver from going down her spine.


End file.
